Recess mounting for valves and fittings for liquefied petroleum gas containers



INVENTOR. RALPH CADWELL fla m mm Attorneys CADWELL R. K. RECESS MOUNTINGFOR VALVES AND FITTINGS FOR LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS CONTAINERS FlledAprll 4, 1947 Sept. 9, 1952 Patented Sept. 9, 1952 Recess. MOUNTING FenvALvEs AND FIT- 'rmoscron LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM e s CONTAINERS Ralph K.Cadwell,.Los Angcles, Galit, assignor to American Pipe .& ,SteelCorporation, Alhambra, T Galifi, enumeration of Nevada T ApplicationApril-4, 1947, Serial'No.7-39,5ll0

This inventionx relates to. a mounting for installingxor mountingvarious valves and :fittings indthe wall of a tank orswcontain'erdesigned to containfa .Tliquefied petroleum gas :such as propane :oi':butane. T Liquefiedzpetroleum :gas such as tblutanefiis now beingfrequently used as the fuel .xontrucksand 2.0laims- (orzzo-lss)fnequently isicarried in :a tank..mountjed on the side .of thechassis ofthe truck and frequently covered by: thez body or; floor. With suchinstallations. the: various valves U andfitti-ngs used to refil'ltthetank andto control egress-therefrom must bezreadily availableorr'taccessible from the side of the truck. However, "therexis aconstant danger-,thatiiiuthe :truckcshould become sideswiped rthatroneo'rxmore of the fittings or valves maybecome broken or damaged and asthe liquefiedmetroleumcontained in. the tank is T.,hig-hly combustiblerand. iszretained thereiniunder pres sure. at .all 'timesiisuchaccidents invariably :re-

sult inseriousifires- T T .It is, therefore,,.one-object of the presentinvention -to :providean improved-tank suitable for containingliquefiedapetroieum gases wherein all of thevvalves and-fittingsrequired-rare mounted on amounting-that is externally recessed withinthe general or overall contour of the tank so. that no: portions ofthese-various valves-andfittings willtbesprojecting beyond the generalcontour of thetankkwall. *In this manner. the valves and ziittings areto arlarge T extent protected by the tank itselfr so that they cannotabe easily damaged or broken'oii. :At the same time all. of these valvesandrfittings will be rendered readily wacoessible fromtthesideoithetruck. a y

1'lanks designed to contain liquefied petroleum gasesare -usuallyequipped with certain valves leading to certain locations within thetan-1;, Thus virtually all tanks designed to contain liquefiedpetroleumgases have a ften percent outage.'valve that controls a conduit leadingto a point approximately-ten percent oi the volumetric capacity ofthe-tank from .the top. In

filling the tank with aliquefied petroleum gas it is essential tomaintain a vapor space above the liquefied petroleum approximately equalto ten percent of the total volumetric capacity of the tank to take careof temperature expansion. Usually also there is a liquid filling valveby which the tank may be refilled and a vapor return valve; thatcontrols a conduit leading to the vapor space in the top of the tank.Almost unlversally there is a safety valve and usually liquid levelgage.Egress from the tank may be controlledby .an outlet valve and in some.111

2 i stances there are two outlet valves one ofwhich controls an outletfor vapor ir oni the vapor space in 'thetank and the other of WhiChCQIltrols :an outlet through a tube leadingto f-the bottom of the tank. l-nthis manner either vaporized or liquid fuel can be withdrawn from thetank depending on which is desired.

.It sisuanother object of the present invention to provide a singlemounting on which all; of the various valves and fittings together withtheir conduits that they respectively controlfinay-he mountedandinstalled as a unit s0 thatgwhen installed on the tank all of thevarious conduits leading to the various valves will be properly-peeltioned with respectto the tan-k.

Tanks of this character designed tdcontain liquefied petroleum gasesmust comply or conform to a certainregulationor safety codeqziarticularly with relation to welded joints or seams some of which requirethat-with certaintypes of welding the welds be formed not onlyexternally of the tank 'hut internally of the-tank. In a tank of thischaracter which is relatively small the formation of internal welds in'the tank between and around the various'tubes would beextreme- 1ydiificult if possible and it is, therefore; another object of theinvention to design a mounting for liquefied petroleum tanks on whichall ol -the various tubes, valves, and fittings may be mounted and whichcan be applied to the tank-in such a manner that only an external weldis requii edz At the same time the tank and its "installed mounting willcomply with allordi-narysa'fety codes and will effectivelypreventleakage at the weldedseam. l 1

Another object of the invention is to provide amounting for mounting thevarious valves and fittings and tubes associated therewith to beinstalled as a unitary structur-e in a liquefied petroleum gas tankwhich is so design ed' that the mQur ting mayf-be inserted'into tankfrom ei'rteri-orqasf a nit onflbeing 'properly posi tioned tliereinf it"will have "a back-up flange around all edges oilthe mounting againstwhich e xter rial iavelding may take place'and'which is" so designedthat the .points of welding are suflicient 1y remotsirom' lithe variousvalves. and. hes that distortion (if ith'e mounting around .the valvesand fittings will. not take place toflany marked extent. y .With theforegoing landpother objects inuiew, which will be made manifest thefollowing .detailed construction, and specificallv pointed out inthe.appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for anillustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a liquid for petroleum gas tanksembodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially upon the line 22 uponFig. l in the direction indicated on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a partial view of the exterior of the tank illustrating themounting embodying the present invention; and

Fig. 4 is a partial view in section taken substantially upon the line4-4 upon Fig. 3.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar referencecharacters designate.

similar parts throughout, I indicates a general-' ly cylindrical tankwhich may be constructed in accordance with any preferred orconventional design. This tank is designed and adapted to contain aliquefied petroleum gas and if used for supplying fuel to the engines ofmotor trucks it may be suitably mounted on the side of the chassis ofthe truck. In the cylindrical wall of this tank there is formed anoblong opening the top and bottom edges of which are indicated at II andI2 and the side edges of which are indicated at I3 and I4. This openingmay vary somewhat in size but in the preferred form of construction itextends through a 90 arc of the cylindrical wall of the tank.

The mounting embodying the present invention consists of a stamping,casting or forging indicated at I5, the top, bottom and side edges ofwhich are shaped to fit the edges of the opening. This mounting presentsaround its periphery a shoulder I6 designed to cooperate with the edgesof the tank wall to form a welding space to re-- ceive an external weldIT. The mounting also has adjacent the shoulder IS a, back-up flange I8that extends entirely around the edge of the mounting and is adapted toabut against the tank wall immediately adjacent the edges of theopening. The mounting is so shaped within its edges that when in appliedposition on the tank wall it will be externally recessed as generallyindicated at I9. This recess is sufficiently deep with respect to thegeneral contour of the cylindrical wall of the tank to accommodate allof the various valves and fittings and parts thereof so that asillustrated in Fig. 2 all of the various fittings mounted on themounting I5 are Well within the recess I9 and within the general contourof the tank wall so as to be effectively protected thereby. At the sametime all of these various valves and fittings are readily accessiblethrough the front of the recess and are in eifect exposed foravailability on the side wall of the tank.

In the construction illustrated 2!] indicates a safety valve that isscrewed into the mounting I 5 adjacent the top thereof and which isdesigned to relieve the tank when its internal pressure becomesexcessive. Below this safety valve there may be two outlet valvesindicated at 2I and 22. The valve 2I may be connected to a dip tube 23that is soldered, brazed, or welded to the inner side of the mounting I5and which extends downwardly to a point near the bottom of the tank. Theother outlet valve 22 may be connected to a tube 24 that extends to apoint near the top of the tank so as to be well within the vapor spacethereof. Such tube is illustrated in phantom lines on Fig. 2. Theseoutlet valves may be optionally used depending on whether the fuelemployed is in the nature of a liquid or a gas. In

'. the mounting I5 itself and which leads upwardly to a point 28 thatisapproximately ten percent, volumetrically speaking, from the top of thetank.

- This ten percent outage valve in conformity with tanks of this generalcharacter is designed to indicate a level within the tank above whichthe liquid level cannot exceed. 29 indicates a vapor return valve whichcontrols a tube or conduit 30 that likewise returns to the vapor spaceor to the top of the tank. 3| indicates a filling valve by which thetank may be refilled from time to time. The vapor return valve 29together with its tube 30 provides a means for withdrawing gas from thetank as it is being refilled with liquid. 32 indicates a liquid levelindicator for indicating the level of the liquid in the tank as it iswithdrawn therefrom.

All of these various valves or fittings together with the tubes leadingthereto may be mounted on the mounting l5 prior to installation of themounting on the tank. The valves and fittings may be screwed tightlyinto their respective apertures in the mounting I5 and the various tubesattached thereto such as by welding, brazing or silver soldering. Whenthe mounting. and its various tubes, valves and fittings have all beenassembled together the mounting as a single unitary structure may beinserted through the opening in the tank wall I I). Some tipping of themounting is required during this insertion but the mounting may bebodily inserted through the opening due to the fact that the openingextends a sufficient distance circumferentially around the wall of thetank. After it has been completely inserted through the opening themounting is then withdrawn or moved outwardly until its back-up flangesI8 bear against the interior surface of the tank walls around themargins of the opening. When held seated in this position all of thevarious valves and fittings together with their tubes will be properlypositioned with relation to the tank. The welds I! may then be formedbetween the edges of the opening and the circumferential or peripheralface of shoulder I6. These welds are all externally formed and due tothe presence of the back-up flanges at I8 are sufficient to comply withall ordinary safety codes.

Even though there may be a great internal pressure within the tank themounting I5 will not be distorted thereby nor will the joint between theedges of the opening and the mounting be opened or weakened.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction Withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A tank having a cylindrical wall, there being an elongated opening insaid wall extending about of the curvature of the wall, a mountingfitting receivable through the opening from the exterior thereof, saidmounting fitting having a back-up flange extending entirely therearoundadapted to bear against the interior surf-acesof the walls of the tankadjacent the edges of the opening, said mounting fitting having ashoulder extending entirely therearound inwardly of the back-up flangeadapted to be positioned opposite the edges of I the opening in spacedrelation thereto to provide a groove between the shoulder and the edgesof the opening to receive a weld, the shoulder bein substantially flushwith the outer surfaces of the tank, external welds between the shoulderand the edges of the opening, and one or more valves on the mountingfitting providing for communication therethrough to the interior of thetank, said mounting fitting being characterized by being externallyrecessed within the edges of the opening so that the valves thereon willbe disposed Within the general external contour of the tank.

2. A tank having a cylindrical wall, there being an elongated opening inthe wall extending approximately 90 of the curvature of the wall, amounting fitting shaped to fit the opening and having a back-up flangeextending entirely therearound and adapted to bear against the interiorsurfaces of the walls of the tank adjacent the edges of the opening,said back-up flange having a peripheral distance greater than thedistance around the edges of the opening but said fitting beingreceivable through the opening from the exterior of the tank by tiltingthe fitting and. inserting it into the tank with a narrow side foremost,said mounting fitting having a shoulder 30 extending entirelytherearound inwardly of the back-up flange adapted to be positionedopposite the edges of the opening in spaced relation thereto to providea groove between the shoulder and the edges of the opening to receive aweld, external welds between the shoulder and the edges of the opening,and one or more valves on the mounting fitting providing forcommunication therethrough to the interior of the tank, said mountingfitting being characterized by being externally recessed within theedges of the opening so that the valves thereon will be disposed Withinthe general, external contour of the tank.

RALPH K. CADWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 470,838 1 Hart Mar. 15, 1892521,113 Hart June 5, 1894 1,572,727 Kerr Feb. 9, 1926 1,342,293 SmithJan. 19, 1932 1,966,241 Furrer July 0, 1934 2,064,123 Kruse Dec. 15,,1936 2,113,060 Sandberg Apr. 5, 1938 2,356,047 Geisinger et a1 Aug. 15,1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 706,054 Germany May 16 1941

